Ripping-needle



M. V. BELL. RIPPING NEEDLE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 13. I919- Pafuented Aug. 24, 1921).

INVENTOR A'm'on ways PATENT OFFICE.

-M.ARY v. BELL, or 0mm, cALirormra RIPIPTNG-NEEDLE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MARY V. BELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oakland, in the county of Alameda and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ripping-Needles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a device for cutting or disengaging the stitches in articles which have been previously sewed together, but which it may be necessary or desirable to unsew or disengage for various reasons.

Heretofore, when doing such work, it is customary to cut the threads forming the seam with a knife, scissors, or the like,

which must be carefully applied to each stitch of the seam to avoid cutting or damaging the fabric. This is a tedious task and a great deal of time is unprofitably consumed.

With the object of overcoming the unnecessary manual labor above referred to,

and also to sever the threads of a seam m a quick and expeditious manner, 1 have de vised a needle which resembles an ordinary sewing machine needle, which may be fixed 1 into the needle carrier or holder of a sewing machine in the usual manner. On this needle I provide a chisel-shaped point of such form that, when the needle is reciprocated by machine action, and in line with the seam to be separated, it will sever the threads forming the seam into short fragments, and thus destroy them and the connection formed thereby."

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 is an enlarged view in elevation showing the cutting edge of the needle in detail; and;

Fig. 2 is a second enlarged view in elevation taken at right angles to Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail: 'A is the shank of a needle or implement, having the head or upper end 2 adapted to fit and be secured in the reciprocating member of a sewing machine, so that, when in operation, the implement will be reciprocated like an ordinary needle. I

The lower end of the implement is flattened and brought to a thin or knife edge 3. This edge is substantiallydiagonal with the planecorresponding. to the seam or surface to be operated upon and the needle is held by the reciprocating member of a sewing machine so that said diagonal edge is dis- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 24, 1920.

Application filed October 13, 1919. Serial Ho. 330,421.

posed transversely to the seam ,or on an angle thereto.

This form of needle I find to be the most preferable when opening the seam of a light or heavy cloth or other similar material. As is obvious, with an edge of this form, in the downward stroke of the needle, a sliding-cutting action of the cutting edge is had, and thus a clean severage of the threads is accomplished.

The thread forming the seam will be separated into small pieces and the two pieces of cloth previously sewed may then'be easily drawn apart. The cloth will in no manner be weakened by the action of the ripping needle when cutting the stitches of thread and can, as a whole, be again used the same as if each of the stitches had been carefully cut by hand.

It may be further added, that the point of'the needle on which the cutting edge is formed is highly tempered in order to obtain a fine cuttin edge. This edge may be sharpened by a ne stone when dulled by use or otherwise.

Also, it is to be understood that my invention may be applied to other material A seam ripping needle for sewing ma chines having a shank, a head on one end of the shank for attachment to the reciprocating member of a sewing machine, and a single pointed continuous cutting edge on the other end of the shank, said cutting edge being disposed at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the needle and formed to cut the thread only upon downward movement of the reciprocating member and to sever the.

parts of the thread lying on the surfaces of the material? In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. MARY V. BELL.

Witnesses: p

WM. H. .BAUER,

JOHN H. HEBRING. 

